Update from the Isleys

Hello Fellow Tekoa Alumni:
Before I begin let me introduce myself for those of you wondering who you are reading about... I am Carrie "Henson" Isley. I worked at Tekoa in '95,'96,'97, '98, and '00. I have very good memories from those years. My favorite weeks were Special Friends weeks and Day Camp (believe it or not). I remember wearing the infamous Hawaiian shirts with my brother Chris, DeHarde, Zac G, and I believe someone else had one but my memory escapes me. I remember countless Talent Show moments like: DeHarde singing that old Lemonheads' song with lyrics that went, "If I was a booger would you pick your nose" or something like that. I remember the Tekoa version of Margaritaville that my brother and I wrote. I remember doing the Riverdance intro for the Talent Show with Clint. Gosh I could go on and on...But the best thing about my whole Tekoa experience was the summer of 2000 when I met the love of my life - John Isley. July 7, 2000 John asked me out after the Barn Dance at Montreat. I was so shocked that a man of his caliber would be interested in me. He was the first guy to ever pursue me with such honor and respect. I remember that I could hardly sleep that night and was so bummed that I left the next day for my week off! When I got back to camp I had to pinch myself that he really did ask to date me. Our first date was memorable. We went to downtown Hendersonville and ate at some restaurant that served me (no lie) Stoffer's microwaved lasagna (Hello!!). Then we went to the Dancing Bear and tried on silly costumes and John sang "My Little Buttercup" from the Three Amigos while wearing a Mariachi hat. We ate ice cream at the old Pharmacy shop (forget what the new name is now). Two years later John asked me to marry him at the "H" Tree. Now 8 years later we have been missionaries in Romania, serve a church here in Waxhaw NC and have a beautiful daughter named Elizabeth Faith. God has really blessed us. I did a lot of growing up from when I started as a naive and impressionable CIT (or TIC) to the person I became my last summer there as Recreation Director. Tekoa helped shape me and I still to this day feel so at home when I am up there with our church family for retreats.

Kitchen Duty and the Staff Assistant

It was a given as a staff assistant -- you were going to work in the kitchen. Some staff abhorred it, while others thrived in the steamy, food service environment (David DeHarde and Brian Combs are a few that come to mind). It was a conversion time between C.I.T.'s and being a full-time counselor, though counselors did not have immunity from being pulled into the kitchen on occasion. I was a staff assistant the summer after I graduated from high school, 1992. Ruth was in charge of the kitchen, and ran a tight ship. I learned some things I didn't know, like not to do food prep on the gas burners (gummed them up), or not to drop sharp knives in a sink of soapy water(sliced fingers). It was hard work, but kitchen staff found ways to entertain themselves. I remember on one occasion we made up kitchen dances like The Can Opener or Stir the Grits, or The Bart (Bart was our Hobart dishes sanitizer) and show them off on Wed. dance night, back when Tekoa used to have a Wed. night dance. A few weeks I remember how each kitchen staff member took turns choosing the music. I picked Garth Brooks, and David DeHarde told me he beat his wife and made up lyrics to some of his songs, singing them to me to get on my nerves ("The thunder rolls, the lightning strikes, I beat my wife..."). Of course, I was so easy to tease because I was so darn gullible! We also always found an excuse to go to the walk-in cooler when it got too hot in the kitchen, or the freezer if it were a real scorcher! Of course, that wasn't very energy efficient, and someone would notice the temperature gauge would be too high and know what was going on. I'm sure some Tekoa folks out there have funnier stories to tell than I do, so chime in! The first photo is from the summer of '92 and includes all of the Staff Assistants and C.I.T.'s of that year.


My first year in the kitchen I also learned about the legend of the Ruth Rolls. It was said that Ruth was so thrifty her first few years as kitchen director that she would use the leftover oatmeal and grits from previous breakfasts and add them to a homemade dinner roll recipe of hers, then serve them to campers that evening or the next day. Now, I remember having Ruth Rolls as a camper. I just didn't know that's how she made them. I thought they were pretty good, and I must give her credit for being creative.


The second pic comes from the summer of '96. Cheesing for the camera is Earl Wilson III and Carrie Henson. This was probably taken on the weekend, as they look way too clean and non-sweaty to have just washed a bunch of pans! Earl was mild-mannered, but had a sharp wit about him. He used to eat food dropped in the pig bucket to gross campers out. He would say, "It's all about mind over matter, if you don't mind it doesn't matter."


The third pic also comes from the summer of '96. Kyle (and two other lovely young ladies whose names escape me at the moment) are doing a real dirty job -- cleaning the greasy hood vents from above the ovens behind the dining hall.

The last picture shows Mike Pruitt in a moment of rest on top of the cardboard recycling pile with a few campers of mine. Notice the look of sheer exhaustion in his eyes.

Working in the kitchen was like a rite of passage for staff. You worked behind the scenes, stuck inside while campers and counselors got to play, and never got as much appreciation as you probably should have from other staff. It was a selfless job, but it made me humble, and it also built a camaraderie among many staff members that built lasting friendships. Whatever happened, we could say we survived the kitchen, and had the burns and pruned fingers to prove it!

Special Friends Week

One of the many amazing experiences I had as a counselor at Tekoa was when I helped with Special Friends Week, or MH Week (I think they now call it Barnabas). Being a counselor for the mentally handicapped isn't for everyone, to be sure. It required a lot of patience, but was also very rewarding. Here are guys and girls who normally spent their year in a special care facility or a group home. Some had jobs, some were more high care, but all of them looked forward to coming to Camp Tekoa more than any camper, I believe. The first camper I had was named Scott (on the left of the first photo). He loved iced tea. I also took care of another camper named Ricky (on the right of the first photo -- taken in 1993). He liked asking people's names, and then spelling it for you. It seemed like he could spell any word you gave him. It might have taken him a minute to do it, but he was diligent. Some of the highlights of their week at camp I think were going to Carl Sandburg's home and watching Rootabaga Stories and petting the goats. The second photo is from the summer of '97 when we took them to Holme's State Forest to see the "Talking Trees." From top row L to R: Steve (my camper that year) with two other campers -- if anyone remembers names, please comment!), bottom row: April Shamel, Brooks Ann, and ________ (another counselor who's name escapes me, but was really cool to know). We were sitting and eating our picnic lunch on the rock, I think. I remember another special friend who loved to swim, and each year we'd joke with her and tell her that they drained Tekoa lake. After a few seconds she'd realize we were teasing and just break out in a big grin. I can't remember her name, but she talked a mile a minute.

Today, many staff alumni come back for this one week to volunteer and be a counselor or resource person. One of these days when my children get a little older, I might do the same.

My First Years At Tekoa

I've got tons of pictures, so I thought I would start at the beginning. My first year at Tekoa was actually as a camper, way back in 1987. I was going into the 8th grade, and came with my youth group from Morris Chapel UMC in Walkertown, NC. I remember being nervous because I had so much fun at another church camp in elementary school, I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy it as much. Boy was I wrong. It was the first summer that Jack and Ruth Porter took over the camp as directors. I had never felt so uplifted by the Holy Spirit and my fellow campers in my life. The way Jack and Ruth stressed a focus on Christ and exploring a relationship with Him through outdoor activities and stewardship really appealled to me. So in 1991 as a rising senior in high school I decided to apply for the CIT (Counselor in Training) program. This first picture is of my CIT group and was taken at The Shoals, a popular hiking destination not far from Tekoa property. Shown in the photo are (from front to back) Star Livengood, Jonathan Trollinger, counselor Drake Evans, Aaron Barnes standing (whom I remember singing along with The Little Mermaid soundtrack while working kitchen duty), Candis Vaughn, David DeHarde, Crystal McPhail, Rusty, and Cathy Whitlock (our other counselor), and Kelly who are both standing to the left. The other photo is taken on the porch of the dining hall (I never did get a picture of the old dining hall before it burned in 1989) and are Star, Candis, Crystal, Kelly, and I in the back. For years afterwards I kept this photo on my cork board in college to show to the guys on my dorm floor that I wasn't as dorky as they thought I was, seeing the cute girls I was keeping company with! The last year as a camper in 1990 I had David DeHarde and Candis Vaughn in my senior high group, so I knew them already. I wish I could find more pictures from that first year on staff, but I had one of those old disc cameras that only took 15 pictures, and not very good pictures, so I think most of them were discarded.